


Hide and Seek

by Bounemr



Series: The Lord and The Lady [1]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Other, non-binary Marinette
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-08
Updated: 2015-12-08
Packaged: 2018-05-05 17:51:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,521
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5384837
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bounemr/pseuds/Bounemr
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hide and Seek is a reveal fic featuring Non-binary Marinette who presents as male as a civilian and female as Ladybug, enjoy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Hide and Seek

**Author's Note:**

> I saw a need and I filled it. The Lord and The Lady will be a series of one-shots, not connected to each other at all. The only reason I’m putting them together is as an easy way to find everything I write with non-cis ML characters (usually Marinette, probably, but anything can happen). If you’re wondering, the title of the series is based off the pun The Lord IS The Lady.

It had been two years since Chat Noir began working with Ladybug. For him, it was two years of fun, freedom, love, and acceptance, from Ladybug and the rest of Paris. It was two years where the public would see his distinctive black cat ears and mask and actually _fangirl_ over him, where he could go out and make a kid’s day just by _being_ , and choosing to exist someplace within eyesight of them. It was two years where, as Adrien Agreste, he’d finally gotten to go to school proper, not homeschool, and made his few real friends, and it was two years in which he’d subtly began changing his closet from _entirely_ his dad’s clothes to _mostly_ his dad’s clothes (Say what you will about him as a person, but Gabriel Agreste is not a bad designer. Still, there’s other makers out there, like his classmate, Marinette. Adrien would be lying if he said he wasn’t treasuring every piece he got out of that boy.). 

It had been two weeks since Ladybug decided to go full on Chat Noir and turn their identities into a game.

“Try to guess.” She had said, a knowing smirk on her face. “I’m fine with you knowing, but it’s more fun if we at least try, right? There’s no reason to tell you right away.”

Chat had wanted to yell, “Yes there is a reason! The reason is that I am actually going to die, please just let me know already!” But he’d always play along with his Lady, that’s just the kind of cat he was.

For him, it was two weeks of frustration, fretting, lists, and agonizing over who she could possibly be. And yes, he made a list, several of them, and no matter what he did, there was just no way anyone was Ladybug. Chat lashed his tail in annoyance as he perched on top of a tall building, overlooking the glittering streets below. _I can count out Alya, Alix, Mylene, and Rose, since they were possessed by akuma before. That leaves… Juleka? But she was there for several of the attacks, so it can’t be her either. But then, the_ whole class _has been there for several of the attacks. Maybe she’s in a different class? But she does have to go to our school, right? Alya said that on the Ladyblog once, I think. I should go find that old post again…_

 _This is easier when I have my lists in front of me…_ He pouted for a while, frustrated by the enigma. “Is there a problem, Kitty?” Chat felt his ear twitch at the sound of Ladybug’s voice. 

“Yes.” He said, “I still have no idea who you are.” Her giggling made him feel both happy, he’d gotten her to laugh even if it was at his expense, and embarrassed, she did it like it should have been obvious. “Hey! Don’t laugh! Can’t you at least give me a hint? I’m not even sure if I know you in our civilian lives.”

She kept laughing as she responded. “Okay, only because you’re giving me those kitten eyes.” Her giggles subsided as she looked curiously at him. “Well… Can I guess who you are? Otherwise I can’t say for sure that we know each other either.”

“Of course, My Lady! I’ve always wanted you to know anyway!” I perked up a bit. Surely she’d have some interesting guesses. _Probably some random green-eyed blond-haired heartthrob I’ve never even heard of._ He thought in anticipation.

Ladybug crossed her arms, and raised one hand to her chin in thought. “Let’s see… are you… Adrien Agreste?”

He nearly choked on air. “First guess?! My Lady, that’s just not fair!” 

She grinned cleverly, and for once Chat Noir was just a little bit irritated that she always seemed to have the answers before him. “Well, I’ll take that as a yes. In that case, we do know each other as civilians.”

“Where?!” He exclaimed. “I’ve been trying to figure it out for weeks, My Lady! None of the girls I know could even possibly be you!”

He said it without thinking. He was frustrated and Ladybug beating him to the punch didn’t help. He loved her, of course, but that didn’t mean he didn’t want to guess first. It was only after the words left his lips, however, that he realized just how that could be taken. _I hope she doesn’t think I was implying…_ “N-not that you’re… I mean- I’m sure you’re just as stunning as a civilian, I only meant-”

Ladybug cut him off with loud, full laughter. “I know what you meant, Kitty. Don’t worry.” Chat breathed out a sigh of relief. “But you’re just looking in the wrong place, is all.”

“Huh? Where else? Unless you’re some random girl my dad made me work with, I don’t see how I could have missed you.”

“Not what I meant, you silly cat. I go to school with you. What I meant was: you’re making assumptions.”

“Assumptions?” Chat frowned. _Just what am I assuming? The textbook thing? But she just said she went to school with me, so that confirms that one!_

“Now come on, Paris isn’t going to patrol itself!”

When Ladybug sent him home, saying she would go to her own home as well, his mind reverted from his hero duties straight back to Ladybug’s identity.

He would, once again, not be getting much sleep that night.

* * *

 

“As it happens, I’ve made a grand total of two assumptions.” Adrien declared upon meeting Nino the next morning.

Nino looked him over once, and said, “You look tired. Does this have something to do with Ladybug?” About one year into his job being Chat Noir, Adrien had a particularly close call with a startlingly nasty akuma. It convinced him he _needed_ to tell at least one person who he was, and so after a long conversation with Ladybug, he revealed his identity to Nino. His best friend was… more upset than surprised, honestly. He wasn’t stupid, he had guessed, being so close to Adrien meant he had a unique position to say, but he denied it on the grounds that Adrien would tell him if he really was a superhero. It took a while for things to get back to normal, but now they’re closer than ever, thankfully.

“It has everything to do with her!” Adrien ran a hand through his hair. “She told me that I was ‘making assumptions’, and that’s why I can’t figure out who she is.”

Nino quirked an eyebrow, interested now. “And? What assumptions were you making?”

“Well… One, that she goes to school with me. Which she confirmed that she does last night. And two…” Adrien saw Nino tilt his head curiously when he trailed off. “Two is that she’s… uh…”

“Dude, spit it out.”

“That she’s a girl.” Adrien looked away. Nino knew perfectly well how in love he was with Ladybug. And it wasn’t lost on Adrien how this, if it really was relevant, could call his sexuality into question.

Instead of some teasing remark though, Nino just asked innocently, “But… she is, isn’t she?”

“Well that’s the only thing I could think of! No girl in our class, that I actually know at least, can be Ladybug. They’ve all either been possessed or I’ve seen them explicitly in the same place as her. That means the only people who she could be…”

“Are the boys.” Nino said. “Makes sense. Any prime suspects?”

“Well,” Adrien reached into his bag, pulling out a paper he’d prepared last night, when he was figuring it out. He pointed helpfully to the three categories. “Nathanael, Kim, and Max have all been possessed before, so they’re out.”

“Naturally.” Nino seemed unsurprised at Adrien’s preparedness. Which made sense, since he’s seen multiple similar lists of girls in the past few weeks. 

“Ivan was there for a few of the attacks, notably Mylene’s, so he’s out too.”

“So that leaves the boys that aren’t in our homeroom and Marinette.”

“Exactly!” Adrien grinned. “I’ve started analyzing the other boys. For now, I’m going to narrow it down by separating them into groups.”

“Which ones this time?”

“By physical characteristics. Ladybug is a Lady, so this guy can’t be super big, and he probably has to have dark hair, at least based on my own transformation. I’m going to look more closely at the other guys not in homeroom as we go through school today.”

Nino looked at him skeptically. “Okay, but don’t be a creep about it. I’m pretty sure some of the girls think you’re weird now.”

“Don’t worry man, I’m a cat! They’ll never even see me!”

“That’s what you said last week.” Nino mumbled, leading the way inside. 

The two said their goodbyes and parted for first period. Homeroom was second, and first was one of the few classes that they didn’t share together.

And Adrien managed to restrain himself enough to send only three texts to his best friend.

A – do u think transformation would get rid of hair dye, I’m pretty sure Arno’s hair is brown naturally. dark enough?  
N – pay attention 2 class  
A – no you’re right he’s too buff  
N – Idc if ur gay dude but do not go off about his muscles  
A – What about Damon?  
N – ttyl dude

Adrien took the hint, and instead focused on putting all his notes to paper, he could run them by Nino later so their phones aren’t in danger from the teachers.

Busy as he was, looking probably a bit too closely at every boy in his class (and the girls too, just to check again), second period came in a flash. In the end, he had one candidate, but he wasn’t convinced. Even Adrien could admit that he was stretching it a bit.

“So, how’d creepy staring work out for you?” Nino asked.  
Adrien just threw the three papers of notes he took on the desk in front of Nino, who looked incredulously at him. At his friend’s gaze, Adrien felt the need to defend himself. “Okay _one_ of them is actual class notes.”

“Mhmm.” Nino said, looking through them. “So… no one?”

“It’s just first period though. There’s still a lot more.”

“Yeah, you’re going to kill a forest if you keep doing this.” Adrien opened his mouth to protest, but Nino cut him off, “Sit down.” 

He took his seat next to his best friend, pouting all the while. “Then what do you suggest?”

“Ladybug has boobs, right? Find the guy who’s passing. There can’t be that many.”

“How am I supposed to figure that out?” He asked, shrinking back slightly at Nino’s devious grin.

And so ends the story of how Adrien Agreste found himself asking Natalie to block out time in his schedule for him to visit the GSA meeting after school. Adrien had a hard time looking her in the face after that one, which in hindsight probably only exacerbated the suspicion.

 _Not that it’s bad._ He thought in the safety of his room. _But if Ladybug really is a boy then I’m going to have to do some serious thinking, and I’d rather not have dad find out if it ends up not even being relevant._

* * *

 

_This is dumb._ Adrien thought, spinning idly in one of the chairs situated around the room. _Even if she is, there’s no telling whether she actually goes to these meetings. Plus this feels… creepy. Creepier than my staring._ Adrien hugged himself, curling up slightly. _I’m literally only here to figure out who’s trans in this school, this is_ not _okay at all._

Making up his mind, Adrien stood to leave. _I’ll figure out who she is another way. I’m not going to invade a safe space for my own curiosity._ Picking up his bag, he thought, _Of course I wouldn’t tell anyone anyway, but it just doesn’t sit right to be here for something so selfish._

Lost in his own thoughts, Adrien didn’t notice that someone else was walking into the room as he left until after he ran straight into them. They were smaller than him, and fell back from the impact, but Adrien, thanks to his instincts and practice as Chat Noir, was able to step forward quickly and catch them.

He blinked down at the boy. “Oh, hey Marinette.”

Marinette smiled in return, seemingly unperturbed by nearly being bowled over. “Hey Adrien! What are you doing at the GSA meeting?”

Adrien paused to find the right response, but only succeeded in noticing Marinette’s blush, something that was ever-present when he talked to him, though luckily the stuttering and stammering from two years ago seemed to die off as they got older. And of course, the blush made him realize exactly what position they were in, with Adrien literally holding Marinette up with a hand on the center of his back and the other placed gently on his opposite hip. _Oh, oops._ He lifted Marinette into a proper standing position before taking a good step back, sure that a blush must have found its way to his own face. “I-I, uh… I think I have reason to believe that I like someone who is… not a girl.”

He watched as Marinette fixed the red beanie he always wore, noticing the black hair underneath and the multitude of bobby pins keeping it all in one place so it could be easily covered. “Oh?” He said casually, chuckling just slightly. “This is new for you then?” Adrien nodded vehemently. _Very, very new. So new I’m not even sure if it’s a thing yet._ “Then come sit with me! It helps when you’re with someone you know.” He smiled dazzlingly, leaving Adrien even more confused than earlier. “I’ve been coming here for a while, trust me they’re just about the nicest people you’ll ever meet.”

Adrien swallowed the lump in his throat as he followed Marinette back to the desks. _Okay, black hair, small frame,_ possibly _biologically female, and since his hair needs to be pinned up that means it’s at least somewhat long. Just maybe… long enough for pigtails? And he’s the only one in my homeroom I haven’t seen with Ladybug at the same time… Oh my god._ The evidence, or the hints at least, all pointed to Marinette being Ladybug. Talk about a prime suspect. _I guess it’s time to start questioning my sexuality then._

Looking over at Marinette, who was leaning forward over the desk and smiling enthusiastically at another student, Adrien thought that maybe he wasn’t at all upset by this revelation. Marinette was cute, in much the same way Ladybug could be, but he also carried himself with the same determined confidence that Ladybug did, which Adrien couldn’t deny he found _extremely_ attractive, and Marinette being a boy did nothing to diminish that. _I can only imagine what my dad would say though._ “Hey, Marinette?”

“Yeah?”

“Why do you come to these meetings?”

Marinette blinked at him, and then laughed. “You don’t know?!” He exclaimed, his grin growing to cheshire cat levels. “I honestly didn’t think I passed _that_ well! Really, thank you for that!”

“…You’re welcome?”

“Adrien, I’m non-binary. I just like presenting as male.”

Little alarms went off in Adrien’s head then, accompanied by all the red flags, and a few white ones for good measure. _Non-binary. Meaning not male_ or _female. Meaning conceivably comfortable presenting as either. Meaning male civilian and female hero. Meaning I am so totally, hopelessly in love oh my god._ Marinette tilted his head adorably as he no doubt saw Adrien’s mind in overload. “So,” Adrien finally managed to say, “If you don’t mind me asking, are there times when you present as a girl, or are you just more comfortable as a boy?”

Marinette chuckled, “I can go either way. If I pass well enough as a boy I get less creepy guys trying to hit on me though. If I don’t, I just confuse people.” He shrugged. “That can be fun too. Usually in public I prefer to present as male. I don’t bother at home though.”

Feeling daring, because he was _mostly_ sure he just figured out who _Ladybug_ is, Adrien asked, “Oh? Why don’t you cut your hair then? It would be easier than pinning it up like that.”

Marinette arched an eyebrow, a smirk dancing on his lips (lips that, now that Adrien was thinking about it, looked _a lot_ like Ladybug’s, and that he was, as always, slightly tempted to kiss. But Marinette wouldn’t like that. _Ladybug_ wouldn’t like that. Plus, he figured he should ponder his own identity more before going to kiss a boy.). He answered easily, without hesitating or thinking much at all about it. “There are some things that just really need a girl to handle them.” He said teasingly. He pondered his next words then, and placed a hand atop his beanie. “And it’s not really that much of a hassle; with enough bobby pins, anything is tamable.”

Adrien has a sudden flashback to the one akuma attack where Ladybug got a box of bobby pins from her lucky charm. _That was an interesting fight._ He thought. _And I’ll never again doubt the truth of that statement._  
“Besides, I’m a fashion designer. A lot of the clothes I make are for girls, and a lot of them have longer hair. It helps if I can use myself as a reference.” Adrien had a hard time imagining Marinette in girl clothes. A bright sundress with his hair flowing over his shoulders, a casual maxi dress with his hair styled and curled… _weird, but cute._ A red blouse, coupled with a ladybug-print skirt and his hair in tight pigtails? _He is totally Ladybug oh my god._

_And of course long hair means no one questions you’re a girl when you’re out saving Paris… and me._

When the meeting started, Adrien felt the discomfort from earlier start to rise again. _But I already have my suspect, I’m not here to analyze anyone. And besides,_ he thought with a glance to Marinette, _I probably belong here anyway. I’m not totally straight, that’s for sure at least, because thinking that he’s Ladybug does not change my feelings at all._

Adrien realized with a start that no, it did change his feelings. He’d be overjoyed. He’d be ecstatic. _I’d love her even more, I didn’t think that was possible, oh god._

It wasn’t that it would mean Ladybug was at least usually a boy, no, it was that Ladybug would be _Marinette_. The only other person in his life who’d taken his breath away, the only person he knew who could stand up to Chloe, the mayor of freaking Paris, and an akuma villain, all while being calm and collected and smart about the whole thing and running for class president on top of it all. He was kind, thoughtful, fashionable, and responsible when it came down to it. Marinette was just such a genuinely _good_ person (not to mention he can go from Rose-style cuteness to Chat Noir-style attractiveness in about half a second, and he pulled them both off with aplomb.) that Adrien couldn’t help but be thrilled at the prospect. _I’m going to let myself down hard if I’m wrong. Maybe I shouldn’t think like this quite yet._

_He has the earrings though… They’re just black but they’re the same size as Ladybug’s. And my ring changes color when I transform, so it would make sense if his earrings did too._

“Oh, Marinette?” Adrien asked when the leader of the meeting had said their piece and everyone started socializing. “I just want to make sure, should I be using masculine pronouns for you?”

He smiled brightly, “Yeah, I’d appreciate that.”

Adrien bit back the question, _What about when you’re Ladybug?_

* * *

 

N – how’d it go?  
A – great! I actually had a lot of fun!  
N – did you now?  
A – yes, I did :P and I officially have a suspect btw  
N – it worked? who is it?!  
A – uh-uh, My Lady would be cross with me if I went around telling people who she is ;3  
N – no fun AT ALL  
A – thanks Nino, love you <3  
N – I feel betrayed. you’re leaving me for the gays.  
A – I’m sorry I can’t help it. They are my people.

Adrien could _feel_ the raised eyebrows of his best friend. He didn’t need to see them, even separated by the city, with each of them in their own homes, Adrien knew exactly the look on Nino’s face.

N – wait really? so you’re gay now?  
A – I’m going with questioning for now. I’m not straight, that’s for sure. Even if he isn’t Ladybug, I don’t think I can really deny that anymore ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯  
N – wow, good luck with that bro. you know I’m always here to listen to your rants, even the gay ones  
A – I know. Thanks Nino <3

Adrien put his phone down, turning his attention to the upcoming patrol. Two and a half weeks now and Adrien had kept coming up short in Ladybug’s little game of identity hide and seek, today he was finally going to win. Marinette just _made sense_. He looked like Ladybug, he has shown before that he can act like Ladybug in a pinch, all he needs is a tight polka-dot spandex suit and a yoyo, but that comes with the kwami.

Plus, he may or may not have started to _really like_ the idea of dating Marinette, but that’s another issue entirely.

_I always get ahead of myself; I just need to chill. After I guess and if Ladybug really is Marinette, then I’ll think about that kind of thing._

He spent the next few hours daydreaming about a cute boy being a superhero lady and interspersing homework between. Luckily, it didn’t seem to take long at all before he was sneaking out and jumping across the rooftops as Chat Noir.

“You seem happy tonight, Kitty.” Ladybug said, coming up from behind him (and startling him, for once, he had been so distracted even his enhanced hearing didn’t get through his skull).

“I am.” He said proudly, standing up straighter and puffing out his chest. “I figured out who you are!”

“Oh did you?” Ladybug bit her lower lip as she tried to hold back laughter.

“Yes, I- hey why are you laughing?!”

“Nothing, I’m just surprised you’re so confident after so long with no clue.”

Chat couldn’t help but pout at that. “I didn’t have _no_ clue; I was just… weighing the options.”

“Uh-huh, says the ‘I’m not convinced we even know each other’ you were on a few days ago.”

“It was just a thought!” Ladybug gave him a doubting look and held him with it. “Alright, fine, I had no idea, happy?”

“Very.”

“But I think you know as well as I do that I know who you are. You talked to me a lot today after all!”

Ladybug snickered. “I did. I’m glad you caught on. I wasn’t sure how much more obvious I could make it without telling the whole school.”

“Marinette.”

She looked up at him with shining eyes. “Beep.” She said, poking his nose. “Wrong.”

Chat Noir spluttered out something incoherent as his mind started taking a thousand different routes.

“I’m kidding! I’m Marinette, yeah!” Ladybug’s expression showed worry, of course it did. Neither of them were expecting the way Chat’s heart constricted at her denouncing his guess. “Are you okay?” 

He grinned as best he could, still recovering from the _heart attack_ she nearly gave him. “Purr-fect, My Lady.” With a twitch of an ear and a flick of his tail, Chat Noir looked more closely at Ladybug. “But, ah, is that okay? Since you present as male in our civilian lives? What would you prefer…”

“Think of it this way Chat, Ladybug is a girl, Marinette is a boy. You can keep using feminine pronouns and calling me your lady, if you want, I don’t mind.”

Chat grinned, _This is the first time she’s encouraged me to call her My Lady._ In his head, he was already running through scenarios where he could ask her out, and woo her as Marinette (who, he noticed, historically acted quite a bit more infatuated with him than Ladybug ever has. Maybe he can rekindle that old crush, if that’s really what it was.), but he still had questions. “Why be a lady in costume though, if you prefer to be male in normal life?”

She winked at him. _Winked_. Chat felt his face heat up. _Yep, still totally in love, thanks for that reminder._ “This is something that needed a girl’s touch. If it’s two guys running around beating akuma, who will be the role model for the girls in Paris?”

Chat was stunned, he had never even thought about that. _It would be important. It might be even more impactful if she came out as non-binary, if that’s what she’s going for though._ “Frankly, I’m surprised you let me be the male role model.”

“Please, you can get annoying at times, but you’re a total gentleman. You’re a wonderful role model.” Hearing that praise from Ladybug made Chat swell with pride. _Ladybug thinks I’m a good role model!_ He couldn’t help the grin of pure joy on his face. “And anyway, have you ever tried running with a binder on? There’s no way I’m fighting akuma wearing one of those things.” Chat laughed loudly and leapt to give Ladybug the biggest hug he could muster. 

“You’re the best.”

Seeing the flicker of doubt in Ladybug’s eyes change into a glow (he’d learn later that she was nervous that he wouldn’t like her as much because she was Marinette. He’d admit later that he thought he wouldn’t either for a moment but was proved terribly, wonderfully wrong.), Chat Noir knew that he and his partner were going to be okay. The reveal had been weighing on them both, even if they didn’t acknowledge it, and having everything out in the open made Chat feel light as a feather, like if he fell there was no way he wouldn’t land on his feet (but he knew he wouldn’t need to, because Ladybug would be right there to catch him).

* * *

 

It had been two months since the reveal, and Adrien was getting the feeling that _everything_ came in twos these days. Two years before the reveal, two weeks of the game before he figured it out, two best friends (Nino and Marinette, though Alya was close now as well as a result), two lives (Adrien and Chat Noir, Marinette and Ladybug), two loves (A lord and a lady, all together in one), and two heroes (Ladybug and Chat Noir, of course). It was probably silly, but Adrien couldn’t help but hope that two was his lucky number, and that now, two months later, Marinette would finally let him call him his boyfriend.

He didn’t plan it. He rarely planned things. Even as Adrien he didn’t do much of his own planning, he had Natalie, who did it for him whether he asked or not. So no, he didn’t plan it, he just felt it, like he always did. Marinette and he had been getting even closer since the reveal. Alya and Nino, as their respective best friends, noticed the change, but stayed mostly quiet on the matter. The only real comments out of them were playful teasing because “Wow Marinette, you turned Adrien gay”. Chloe, of course, noticed Adrien flirting with Marinette, and called him out on it. Strangely, or perhaps not so much, that was the day that Adrien came out to the class as pansexual, and that yes, he was definitely flirting with Marinette. That was because he liked him, of course.

Livid was too mild a word for what Chloe was after that day. She had systematically torn down every girl in class (as well as Nathanael, who had a crush on him for a while) just because they were _potential_ competition, and then here came Marinette out of the blue (the clear, blue sky where he could be seen as Ladybug, swinging through Paris) stealing away his affections (Adrien laughed, thinking that would only be true if his affections took the form of his phone.). Adrien had to have a serious talk with a bawling Chloe after that, which left him feeling a bit bad for her, but he couldn’t help who he loved.

That was also the time Adrien first asked Marinette on a date. He felt it, like he always did, that that was the time. Publicly, like his life had always been, but in front of only a small group of people who would undoubtedly support Marinette if he did want to say no. Adrien would have been one of them. He’d be crushed of course, but he’d support him, if he truly wasn’t interested. 

But luckily everything worked out, Marinette said yes, and the two had a wonderful day together the first day Adrien could clear his schedule.

Marinette was still unsure though. Even though he agreed to the date, he had reservations about actually _dating_ Adrien. Mostly it had to do with their superhero duties, and there was a lot of trepidation even on Adrien’s side about how they should treat that part of their relationship. So the two agreed that it was best to just stay friends for the time being. Adrien wanted more, but he acknowledged the logic Marinette presented, and he respected the other boy’s decision.

And so for a while, they hung out together, usually with Alya and Nino along, but sometimes just the two of them. To Adrien, those times had been eerily reminiscent of dates, but he didn’t comment on it.

But then, two months after the reveal, Adrien finally felt the time was right. Things have been going smoothly, Marinette and he had been closer, more affectionate, even as Ladybug and Chat Noir, and Adrien felt like things have been going gradually enough for so long that they were dating in all but name, on both sides of the mask, so one day, he took Marinette’s hand in his and guided him to the side of the hallway where they wouldn’t get in the way of other students walking to class.

Marinette looked at him curiously, but said nothing and made no effort to untangle their entwined fingers, so Adrien just put on his best smile, the one that he couldn’t fake if he tried even with all his modelling experience, the one that comes out only with Marinette, and asked, “Will you be my boyfriend?”

Marinette bit his bottom lip, not nervous, thankfully, but considering. “How will we handle Ladybug and Chat?”

Adrien shrugged. “I don’t know. I don’t care. Maybe they’re dating, maybe not, all I know is _I_ want to date _you_. I’ll take any form I can get.”

Marinette’s gaze softened and Adrien lost himself, briefly, in his eyes. “Sure. And maybe Ladybug and Chat can be just like,” He lifted a hand, shaking it in a so-so gesture and made a noncommittal sound.

Adrien laughed and picked up Marinette in a bear hug, the biggest and cuddliest he had in his arsenal. “Good enough for me.”

Two hours later, when school ended, Adrien proudly walked up to his best friend, hand in hand with Marinette, and declared, “Hey Nino, I just wanted to introduce you to my _boyfriend_.”

Nino looked up in surprise, and then flinched when Alya started screaming from nearby. “Oh my god, did I hear that right? You two are finally dating?”

Marinette took his turn at looking proud of himself and nodded affirmation to his best friend.

“I’m so proud of you!” Alya tackled Marinette in a hug, tearing his hand from Adrien’s (which Adrien was just a little bit bitter about, if he were to be completely honest). When she let go, she turned immediately to Adrien, who gulped. _She’s scarier now than she was as Lady Wifi._ “And you. Girl, if you so much as harm one hair on his beautiful head you will wake up in Singapore with nothing but a turtle and a single, red handkerchief.”

Adrien looked to Nino, silently begging the question, _What does that even mean?_ Nino shrugged, so Adrien looked back at Alya. “Look, I adore Marinette. I’d never do anything to hurt him, so don’t worry!”

Nino stepped forward, frowning as he looked at Marinette. “No need to give you that talk.” He said simply, before turning to Alya. “You though, remember that Adrien’s my best bro. You have permission to hurt him if he does something stupid, but if you send him to Singapore I’ll post that picture of you at the Christmas party.” 

Alya scoffed. “That’s the best threat you can come up with?”

“Oh, did I mention I’d post it on the Ladyblog?”

“You wouldn’t dare!!!”

“Try me.” Nino smirked.

Adrien just joined hands with his boyfriend once more and grinned at their best friend’s antics.


End file.
